How Do You Do A Fabric Burn Test?
Do you ever buy fabrics on eBay or at estate sales and flea markets? What about your non-quilting friends, do they ever offer to give you excess fabrics? Have you received fabrics in a swap that you’re just not sure about? Unless you absolutely recognize fabrics as quilting cottons, there’s no way of knowing their fiber content without doing a few tests. One identification test is a fabric burn test, and it’s an easy way to help you determine if a fabric is 100-percent cotton–or something else. Be sure to perform the burn test outside on a day that’s not windy, or in a well ventilated area inside. Burn Test Supplies • The fabric(s) you want to test • A flameproof container with walls–try a large ashtray • Long matches or another source of a small flame • Long tweezers or a hemostat Perform the Burn Test • Cut small swatches of each fabric you want to test. Two-inch squares are fine. • Place a swatch in your fireproof container and ignite a corner of the fabric. • Pay attention to the
